During her freshman year, the Gardner High track coaches knew Aly Comeau had potential, but lacked the confidence, technique and speed to be an elite sprint hurdler.

Four years later, Comeau is not only one of the best hurdlers in the state and in New England, she knows it and doesn't shy away from it.

"I want it really bad," Comeau said. "I just want to win. Freshman year, I didn't really know what it was like to run. That's the reason why I work as hard as I do. I just love (track). I definitely want to be No. 1 in the state."

Comeau's personal best in the 55-meter hurdles — her premier event and favorite one — is a blistering 8.53 seconds, set in the Coaches Elite Meet last Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Center. She not only won the race, but qualified for the National Scholastic Emerging Elite Meet in March. The qualifying time is 8.54 seconds.

Earlier this month, Comeau finished first at the East Coast Invitational in Providence. She has broken her own school record four times.

Her personal bests include 7.5 in the 55 dash and 5 feet in the high jump. The versatile 5-foot-5 second-year captain also throws the shot put. Although she's not a true distance runner, Comeau posted the 14th fastest time in school history last fall on Gardner's 2.6-mile cross-country course at Dunn State Park.

"She's having a phenomenal season," said former longtime Wildcats coach Dave Beauregard, who guided Comeau for three years and still closely follows her career. "She's really come a long way. When she started out her freshman year, she didn't have a lot of speed. She was OK. We knew she would help us. She was just an average sprinter.

"She worked at it," Beauregard said. "She listened. She's willing to do the hard work, and so far, she's heading in the right direction with that. Her start is as good as I've seen since I've been coaching."

At last year's Central Mass. Division 2 indoor championships, Comeau was runner-up to former Oxford High star — and 2013 Hometeam Athlete of the Year — Emily Dawidczyk in the hurdles before placing eighth at the Division 3 state meet.

"She knew last year she had some talent, and I think that put her in the mood to go all out for it this year," Beauregard said. "The speed has really picked up in the last year. She's easygoing. She has an nice personality, but she's extremely determined to be No. 1 this year."

Comeau was ranked third in the state before Sunday's Elite Meet. At December's Winter Festival, she broke her own record, winning it in 8.66 seconds. She was second at the Boston Holiday Challenge (8.70).

"She's become really proficient in it," Gardner coach Ken Pelletier said. "Over the years, she's gotten more confident with what she's been doing. She got physically stronger. As a freshman, we knew she was going to be a pretty good athlete. She was kind of a natural for it. Her freshman year was kind of a struggle for her."

Pelletier said only hundredths of a second separate the top three hurdlers in Massachusetts.

"Our expectation for her is to be the best in the state, and she's there right now," Pelletier said. "If she ended up only being second or third, that's fine with me. That's quite an accomplishment." Comeau, 18, sacrificed hanging out with friends, going to the beach and planning any vacations as she spent last summer honing her craft.

"I've given up so much," said Comeau, a former gymnast who hopes to hurdle for a Division 1 college. "I watch what I eat. I lift weights. I practice really hard. Running hard makes me faster. I finally have everything coming together. It was perfect timing."

Beauregard, Pelletier and Comeau credit her vast improvement to former Division 3 All-America hurdler Tracy Lewis, who was a standout at Lynchburg College in the early 1990s. Lewis has worked with Comeau on the side since last spring.

"He's primarily the guy who has taken her the furthest," Pelletier said. "She learned that she wanted to be the best and she'd have to commit to it. She took the challenge. Tracy is tough on her."

"None of this would be possible if not for (Lewis)," Comeau said. "He just knows his stuff. He would fix my technique. He motivated me mentally, too. He's been such a great help. I do meets over the summer to keep my legs fresh."

But Beauregard and Pelletier will always have a special place in Comeau's heart.

Sutton High girls' coach Bill Gillin has talked openly about "The Streak" with his athletes for several years.

Now that streak could reach an impressive milestone, in a 5:30 p.m. meet today against Dual Valley Conference rival Douglas at Northbridge High.

A victory over the unbeaten Tigers would give the Suzies their 100th consecutive dual-meet victory. Their last loss was against Woodstock Academy in December 2001, at South High, in what was known then as the Central Mass. Suburban League.

The defunct league also included the Worcester public schools, St. Peter-Marian, Holy Name and Tourtellotte and Plainfield in Connecticut. Sutton was the only DVC school to have indoor track.

After its season-opening loss that season, Sutton went 8-1.

"It's been a lot of work to it," said Gillin, who started the indoor program in 1999. "It is quite a streak. It's quite a legacy to it. It's not something I shy away from and don't talk about. To go that long and to still be going, there is a lot involved. It takes good athletes and a little bit of luck."

Douglas is an up-and-coming squad that has been building a respectable and competitive program over the past few years. Gillin admitted it will not be an easy win.

"It'll be a tough meet, and our girls know it," Gillin said. "Douglas is a very good team. They match up well with us. They have great performers. They're well-coached. No one can accuse us of backing in. It'll go on as long as we can maintain it. When it ends, it ends. Hopefully it won't end (today). I'm looking forward to it, but I'm a little nervous for it."

The Suzies' captains are senior Alex Hill and juniors Olivia Reinhold and Mackenzie George. Senior Jessie Cardin, the 2013 Hometeam Runner of the Year in cross-country, is competing in indoor track for the first time.

Contact Steve Farley at sports@telegram.com.

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